Arizona coach Chip Hale sent a text message to right-hander Dawson Netz on Sunday evening.
“Congrats to your sister,” Hale wrote. “Now it’s your turn.”
Netz’s sister, Devyn, threw a shutout Sunday afternoon to push the UA softball team past Missouri and into the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Hale is handing the ball to her brother in the opening game of the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament. First pitch is slated for 9 a.m. Wednesday at Scottsdale Stadium.
The expectations for Dawson won’t be as high as they were for Devyn; Dawson is just coming back from an arm injury, and he’s serving as the opener in a planned bullpen game for No. 5 seed Arizona against No. 4 seed Oregon.
But Dawson Netz has proved he can handle pressure situations. He started the deciding Game 3 of Arizona’s Super Regional matchup against Ole Miss last spring. He was charged with one run and struck out two batters in two-plus innings. Arizona won 16-3 to advance to the College World Series.
“I feel fully confident in Dawson,” UA catcher Daniel Susac said. “He’s a really prepared guy, works really hard. It’s not gonna be too big a situation for him.”
“Big games like that,” added outfielder Tanner O’Tremba, “are when he shows up.”
As a second-year freshman in 2021, Netz led the Wildcats with six postseason appearances (the other five in relief). He compiled a 2.84 ERA and limited opposing hitters to a .136 batting average.
Netz began this season as Arizona’s No. 3 starter. But he experienced arm issues in late March. Netz made only two appearances in April and May — two innings against New Mexico State on April 12 and one against Oregon this past Thursday.
Netz looked sharp against the Ducks. He struck out one batter and didn’t allow a hit. Susac said Netz’s velocity peaked in the 92 to 93-mph range. He also was able to command his pitches
“He looked good,” Hale said. “He looked healthy. The ball was coming out of his hand. Velocity was good. His breaking ball was breaking.”
Hale and pitching coach Dave Lawn have used the bullpen strategy a handful of times this season. It worked splendidly during Arizona’s two-game series at Creighton. The Wildcats used six pitchers in each game. None threw more than three innings. Arizona allowed only one total run.
The Wildcats could play as few as two or as many as six games during the Pac-12 Tournament, which runs through Sunday. If they go deep, a bullpen game is inevitable at some point. By starting out that way, Arizona is able to give its starters an additional day of rest – and allows for the possibility of swapping Garrett Irvin (2.65 ERA) and TJ Nichols (5.47).
“The biggest part to a bullpen day is the first guy,” Susac said. “If he sets the tone for the rest of them, it makes their job a little easier.”
Oregon will start right-hander Christian Ciuffetelli, who opened against Arizona last Thursday. Ciuffetelli allowed one run on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Must-win?
Despite getting swept at Oregon last week, Arizona (35-21, 16-14 Pac-12) again earned a spot in D1Baseball.com’s projected field for the NCAA Tournament. But the Wildcats aren’t assuming anything and are approaching the Pac-12 Tournament with a singular focus.
“We talked to the players on Saturday after our last game: We’re going to this tournament to win it,” Hale said.
In all likelihood, defeating Oregon (35-21, 18-12) in the opening game would secure a spot for Arizona. The Ducks are up to 19th in RPI, are ranked 22nd in Baseball America’s Top 25 and are in the mix to be a regional host.
“I’m just operating to go 1-0 every day,” Susac said. “Just try and win that first game. If you win that one, the rest will take care of itself.”
No. 1 seed Stanford and No. 8 Arizona State are the other teams on Arizona’s side of the bracket in the double-elimination tournament. They face each other 45 minutes after the conclusion of the UA-UO game.
Winning the first two games would be a best-case scenario as that would give the Wildcats a day off Friday. But Hale and his players know they can’t think that far ahead. He just wants them to get back on track after a rough week that concluded an up-and-down season.
“We don’t feel like we played awful in Eugene, but we need to win some games and feel good about ourselves,” Hale said. “We want to be in the NCAA Tournament; it’s very important for this program. But we also want to be competitive.”
Last year’s team started slowly, experienced a brief midseason slump, then went on a tear that lasted until the Wildcats made it to Omaha. This year’s team has been plagued by inconsistency and has gone just 14-14 since sweeping Washington in early April.
Hale cited a lack of depth as the biggest issue. Susac said the team has been prone to “lulls” at times. He offered the Utah series as an example. Arizona lost two of three in Salt Lake City to a team that didn’t end up qualifying for the conference tournament. All three games began at 11 a.m. local time.
“Not making excuses, but it was little weird,” Susac said. “You have to bring your own energy every game, but it’s also tough when you’re losing the game.”
So what’s the key to a 9 a.m. game?
“Getting up early,” Susac said. “No pun intended.”
Inside pitch
Arizona’s batters saw most of Oregon’s pitchers last week. But the same could be said of the Ducks’ hitters and the Wildcats’ staff. “It’s just gonna be who’s gonna play better baseball on Wednesday morning,” Hale said. “That’s what it’s gonna come down to. They’re a good team. We’re gonna have to play our best game.”
The elements could give Arizona an advantage. Scottsdale Stadium is a grass field. Oregon plays on turf. Also, the forecast high for Wednesday is 102 degrees. “Playing on dirt is always going to be good for us because we play on it every day,” O’Tremba said. “It’s nice to be in the sun. I’m not saying that it’s an extra advantage. But it feels like home to us.”
O’Tremba played in the Big 12 Tournament for Texas Tech in 2019. The top-seeded Red Raiders advanced to the semifinals before being knocked out by West Virginia. They eventually made the College World Series. “It was a lot of baseball,” O’Tremba said. “It just got everyone really excited for the postseason. We didn’t win it, but it was a lot of fun.”
Three Arizona players — infielders Jacob Shaver and Luis Tuero and outfielder Matty Clark — have entered the NCAA transfer portal and are no longer with the program. Teams are able to carry 30 active players during the Pac-12 Tournament, three more than the regular season.
